KZMU News

Today we talk to Sophia Fischer of the Moab Times-Independent about construction on the La Sal Loop Road, the dismissal of a lawsuit against the city and county by local OHV businesses, YGP's acquisition of the Moab Community Gardens, and a possible esports team at the Grand County High School. We also welcome Kenny Fallon, publisher and editor of a new, monthly publication called the Green River...

Kevin Dwyer and former Moab City Council member Karen Guzman-Newton recently presented solutions for improving the safety of Main Street, where 13 traffic fatalities have occurred in the past 10 years. Their research found that Moab's Main Street is the deadliest main street in Utah among cities of comparable sizes. We also hear from KSUT about a missing Indigenous girl. // Show Notes: // City Cou...

It’s not unusual for ancient pottery sherds to make their way to a museum. Maybe they were found in a storage box, or were passed down by a family member, or even recently plucked illegally from public lands. The Moab Museum hopes that by hosting a weekly gathering around such sherds, they can help spread the word about the importance of leaving artifacts in place on our shared landscapes. Plus: o...

Lena Pace has worked all over this country. On a floating ranger station in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, to the desert of Lake Mead National Recreation Area, even the south shore of Long Island at Fire Island National Seashore. Now she will spend her time in the red rock of Arches, Canyonlands, Hovenweep and Natural Bridges as the superintendent of the Southeast Utah Group of National P...

On the latest Regional Roundup: an interview about making art more accessible for people with disabilities in our state. Plus, we hear about the challenges in researching women's history, new education programing aiming to increase diversity in nursing, and heartbreak poems.

Today we talk to Sophia Fisher of the Moab Times-Independent about the Hayduke Trail, an 800-mile route through six national parks that was co-founded by a Moab resident. We also talk about a lawsuit against the National Parks Service for no longer accepting cash at certain park entrances. Plus, we discuss the city’s plan to reinstate property taxes for the first time in over 30 years. We finish o...

The Denver Art Museum is preparing to reach out to tribes following new federal regulations regarding possession of Native American sacred and funerary objects. After new rules went into effect, the museum removed a case of ceramics from display. Plus: people in the Rocky Mountain West will see some effects from an upcoming solar eclipse. And: a new hiking group in our region is pushing back on ex...

Last week, multiple organizations filed protests with the state claiming the water rights for a controversial housing development on Kane Creek Boulevard should be revoked for nonuse. In Utah, water rights that go unused for seven years are subject to forfeiture. The property is located along a largely untouched section of the Colorado River, and many Moab residents have been pushing back against...

Heartbreak – that thing of sorrow and loss – has united a group of poets in towns across the west. Their work is collected in the anthology Poems for Ex-Lovers, which recently released its third volume of heartbreak poems. Plus, neighborhood peacocks add a little magic to a street in Salt Lake City. And, environmental groups filed a proposal for managing the Colorado River. And! KZMU turns 32 toda...

On the latest Regional Roundup, a county in our region recently declared itself *not* a sanctuary city. Our regional reporters unpack what that might mean for local immigrants. Plus: skijoring is becoming an economic plus for many small towns in the Rocky Mountains. And: author Laura Pritchett on her new book Playing with (wild)fire, inspired by Colorado's largest wildfire.

Today we talk to Sophia Fisher, reporter with the Moab Times-Independent, about the BLM’s decision to keep off road vehicle trails closed in the Labyrinth Canyon area while litigation against the recent closures persists. We also talk about the upcoming departure of Moab City Manager, Carly Castle, as well as Sophia's upcoming resignation from the Times-Independent. We finish off discussing how th...

Moab is remembering Jim Stiles, the editor and publisher of The Canyon Country Zephyr, an alternative publication covering southeast Utah. Stiles passed away at his home in Coldwater, Kansas earlier this month. He spent over three decades living in the Moab area, first coming out in the 1970s to work as a seasonal ranger at Arches National Park. On today’s news, we hear an excerpt from an archival...

On the latest Regional Roundup, we revisit KZMU's reporting on how over 3,000 homes on the Navajo Nation received official addresses. Plus: an interview about teen mental health. And: a discussion on people moving back to rural America.

Today we talk to Sophia Fisher of the Moab Times-Independent about a phone scammer who targeted a Moab resident. We also talk about the new superintendent for Arches and Canyonlands Nationals Parks. And we finish off discussing two new management plans for the Bears Ears National Monument and for the Green and Colorado rivers within Canyonlands. // Show Notes: // Dollar General employee foils woul...

Two weeks ago, a lithium mine in Green River overflowed with more than 400,000 gallons of water. Representatives from the company, A1 Lithium, said no discharge reached the river. But local residents worry larger accidents could contaminate the waterway in the future. // Photo: Green River residents gathered for a public meeting last week about a recent lithium well accident. Photo by Emily Arntse...

Last week, the Canyonlands Regional Airport staged a fake plane crash as part of a mandatory emergency response exercise. All agencies included in the airport's emergency response plan were present, plus actors from the Grand County High School drama club, who played crash victims. Photo: Emergency responders carry an actor in a plane crash exercise to an ambulance. Photo by Emily Arntsen.

On the latest Regional Roundup: an interview with reporter Susan Shain about her new High Country News article on building housing on public lands. And: how an elementary school in our region is implementing programs to make newly arrived immigrant children feel welcome and safe. Plus: a report on a new cannabis growing enterprise in a tiny Colorado town.

Today we talk to Sophia Fisher of the Moab Times-Independent about the community’s backlash against a truck stop that’s proposed to go in near Sunny Acres Lane, a residential area right off of Highway 191. We also talk about the latest updates in a lawsuit filed by the parents of Gabby Petito against the Moab Police Department. And we finish off with a brief overview of the upcoming Grand County e...

Federal agencies and five sovereign tribal nations released a draft plan for Bears Ears National Monument. The federal-tribal partnership is the first of its kind, and so is the preferred draft plan, which would maximize tribal input on 1.36 million acres of public land in southeastern Utah. Plus: a documentary about mountain bikers on the Navajo Nation is screening across our region. And: people...

Today we hear from KOTO about a recent demonstration in Telluride, Colorado, that showed solidarity with the people of Palestine. We also hear from our partners at KSUT & KSJD about the first naturalization ceremony to take place in Durango, Colorado. Finally, we hear from KGNU about the correlation between light snowpack and wildfires.

Today we hear from our regional partners at KSJD about how Colorado is trying to make voting easier for Native Americans during this election season. We also hear from Aspen Public Radio about a bill that would reintroduce wolverines to Colorado. Finally, we hear from KRCL about some recent wins in the state legislature for Utah's unions.

The Sound of Rushing Water is a collection of field recordings of Cataract Canyon made during the 2023 river season by Moab river folks Mike DeHoff and Meg Flynn. This project shares an intimate experience of traveling along the last truly wild stretch of the mighty Colorado River. // Photos and more: https://www.kzmu.org/the-sound-of-rushing-water/

Today we discuss an event celebrating the return of Glen Canyon as Lake Powell falls. We also talk about a determination related to allegations of illegal mining brought against the Kane Creek Developers. We also discuss the state legislature funding a new nonprofit with a tie to that same development. And we finish off with an update on the Moab to Monument Valley Film Commission celebrating thei...

Forest workers in Western Colorado are being trained on horseback. Tune in to the latest Regional Roundup to hear why. Plus: the complicated history of Buffalo soldiers. And: an investigation into medical debt.

Today on the News Reel, we talk to Sophia Fisher, reporter with the Times-Independent. We discuss a proposal to pave 6 miles of road in the Sand Flats Recreation Area. We also talk about recent allegations of illegal mining brought against the Kane Creek developers as they extract sand and gravel from nearby plots to raise the riverbank along their property. We also discuss a story about local bus...